Dr Jane Carnaffan

My research interests are in widening participation, the internationalisation of university education, decolonising the curriculum and intercultural communication. 

If you are interested in teaching materials which promote a non-essentialist approach to intercultural communication, then take a look at the website below, the result of a BALEAP (British Association of Lecturers of English for Academic Purposes) funded project:

https://www.interculturalmaterials.co.uk/

Awards 

2021  British Council EME (English Medium Education) and Gender Research Grant Co-authored and won bid with Dr Caroline Burns, Dr Bill Guariento, Associate Professor Roger Penlington (Northumbria University), Ms Amani Al-Mgadma and Professor Hatem Elaydi (Islamic University of Gaza). Project title: An EME-focussed investigation into barriers facing female engineers. Amount: £100,000.

2021  CUSP (Culture for Sustainable and Inclusive) Peace Award (University of Glasgow, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Global Challenges Research Fund) Small Grant, Capacity and Partnership Building Strand Co-authored and won bid with Dr Caroline Burns, Dr Bill Guariento, Associate Professor Roger Penlington (Northumbria University), Ms Amani Al-Mgadma and Professor Hatem Elaydi (Islamic University of Gaza). Project title: Listening to the needs of women to develop female-centred engineering solutions after war through story circles. Amount: £10,000.

2019  BALEAP Collaborative Practice Funding Co-authored and won bid with Dr Caroline Burns (lead researcher), Northumbria University, Dr Guy Middleton (researcher), Northumbria University and Dr Stephanie Bridges (researcher) Nottingham University, Ms Jenny O’Neill, Careers Adviser, Northumbria University, Ms Ellen Cole, Scholarly Publications Librarian, Northumbria University. Project title: Getting to know me, getting to know you: Developing materials to enhance intercultural conversations based on a non-essentialist model of culture. Amount: £1,000.

2016  Erasmus Staff Mobility Award (For teaching Academic English at Jaén University, Spain)

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• ‘Blocks’ and threads’: Chinese students’ constructions of ‘culture’ in their reflections on ‘critical incidents’ experienced during a short-term study abroad programme in the UK, Carnaffan, J., Burns, C. 2 Jan 2026, In: Language and Intercultural Communication
• Peace education, militarism and neo-liberalism: conceptual reflections with empirical findings from the UK, Behr, H., Megoran, N., Carnaffan, J. 2 Jan 2018, In: Journal of Peace Education
• Sharing the Benefits of Rural Tourism? A Multi-Scalar Analysis of Responsible, Homestay Tourism in Rural Peru, Carnaffan, J. 2014, Rural Tourism , Cambridge, Cambridge Scholars Publishing

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Other: CUSP (Culture for Sustainable Peace) network award, 2021. Development of Intercultural Competencies for women engineers: a Story Circles approach. Amount: £10,000 2021
• Other: British Council EME (English Medium Education) and Gender Research Grant, 2021. An EME-focussed investigation into barriers facing female engineers. Amount: £100,000 2021
• Other: BALEAP Collaborative Practice Funding, 2019. Getting to know me, getting to know you: Developing materials to enhance intercultural conversations based on a non-essentialist model of culture. £1,000. 2019
• Invited talk: Title: Internationalisation and widening participation narratives: synergies and pedagogical implications 2019
• Oral presentation: Critical reflections on teaching intercultural communication (competence) on a three week course for Chinese students 2019
• Oral presentation: Internationalisation and widening participation narratives: synergies and pedagogical implications 2019
• Oral presentation: Internationalisation and widening participation narratives: synergies and pedagogical implications 2019

I have been a lecturer in English for Academic Language Skills at Northumbria University since 1995 (with breaks to teach in Japan and study for my PhD at Newcastle University). I am currently teaching courses on academic writing and research skills for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

I have taught English language in Spain, Paraguay, Bulgaria and Japan. I also have also lectured in Human Geography, specialising in Latin American Development and Sustainable Tourism.

I have been Senior Adjunct Lecturer at Luxembourg University, where I delivered short courses on research article writing and conference skills to postgraduate researchers.

I have an academic background in Modern Languages, Social Sciences, Research Methods and Tourism and Development.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

• Geography PhD November 30 2009
• Research Methods MA September 30 2004
• Social Studies/Science MA September 30 2004
• Modern Languages PGCE August 31 1993
• Modern Languages June 30 1992